Friday, October 27, 2006

The continuing cathedral choir tradition

The greatest and perhaps most precious anachronism is the continuing tradition of the cathedral choirs ... it tells of a civilation utterly different from the one we seem to be preparing for the 21st century. Such a record as this brings it home. The mastery of our Tudor composers in their choral writing tells of a rich culture, in which the cathedrals were very near the centre; and this mastery is splendidly preserved by choirs like Worcester Cathedral ... it is amazing and marvellous to find them flourishing as vigorously as this one clearly is - John Stean's Gramophone review of Great Tudor Anthems sung by Worcester Cathedral Choir directed by Donald Hunt

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"... it tells of a civilation utterly different from the one we seem to be preparing for the 21st century...."

While it is not a Cathedral proper, this evening the Library of Congress is acting the role of a center of civilization by hosting a chamber choral ensemble -- San Francisco-based Chanticleer -- in an all American choral program by living composers -- the East Coast premiere of Ezequiel Viñao's The Wanderer, a setting of an ancient Anglo-Saxon poem, and works by Paul Schoenfeld, Carlos Sánchez Gutiérrez, Arthur Jarvinen, and Steven Stucky.

Here is an insightful review by Richard Scheinin of the San Jose Mercury of the program (or a similar one) performed at Mission Santa Clara, in Northern California, last month.